Luminous reticle



Feb. 11, 1964 G, E. RlcKERT Luumous mmm 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 7, 1962 INVENTOR.

GLENN E. RICKERT BY Maw Arrows/[y G. E. RICKERT LUMINOUS RETICLE Feb. 11, 1964 Filed May 7, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v1.1.1....I'I'IA A l l w INVENTOR. GLENN E. RICKERT BY Maw A wom/EV United States Patent Ullice 3,lZi,lh3 Patented Feb. ll, 3234 3,l22t,163 LUMBIUS RETICLE Glenn E. Rickert, 231 Park Drive, Huntington, Ind. Filed May 7, 1952, der. No. 192,8@8 4 Claims. (El. Z50-77) This invention relates to a luminous reticle for optical instruments, and more particularly relates to reticles used in rifle telescopes and similar instruments.

Reticles in optical instruments are of two general types. The first type is the silhouette type and is of the variety commonly used in riile telescopes and similar instruments where the marks or pattern of the reticle is opaque and appears as a black silhouette against the background being viewed. The second type is the electrically illuminated reticle, and the pattern or marks of me reticle are made to appear luminous or to glow, with the energy for the glow coming from batteries or other electrical source.

In the electrically illuminated reticle type, the marks can be very line in size, and also they can be used in very dim lighting conditions, still being easy for the observer to see. This type has the disadvantage, however, of being bulky and being expensive to build and maintain because oi the light bulb, housing and electrical supply. In fact, in portable instruments such as a riile telescope, the problems become almost prohibitive, and the silhouette type reticle is generally used.

ln the silhouette type, however, a problem is present where the pattern marks must be comparatively large in size or they are too difcult to see against certain backgrounds in even good livht conditions, and very diilicult to see with any background in dim light conditions. Yet when the malts are made suiliciently large to be quickly and easily seen, they tend to hide too much or" the view, particularly where critical alignment is needed on small objects such as in a riile telescope reticle.

Gne object of the invention is to provide an improved luminous reticle which can be easily seen in dim light and poor background conditions.

Another object of die invention is to provide a luminous reticle without the requirement of an electrical energy supply.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reticle made luminous by employing lluorescent material energized by natural incident light.

A salient object of the invention is to provide a means whereby liner reticle marks or patterns may be used than would otherwise be practical by making the pattern appear to glow in a vivid color which contrasts with the colors normally found in the background view.

Additional objects, advantages and features or invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination oi parts involved in the embodiment of the invention, as will be apparent or understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a cross-sectional View of my invention as applied to a riiie telescope;

FGURE 2 is an enlarged detailed View of my invention as shown in FIGURE l;

FlGURl-E 3 is a modification of my invention;

FIGURE 4 is another modification;

FlGURE 5 is a further modification where the iluorescent lighting material is forward oi the objective lens;

FSURE 6 is a modiication or" my invention where the fluorescent optical material is a band surrounding the reticle; and

FlGURE 7 is another modiication'of my invention where the uorescent optical material is part of the reticle.

In order to avoid an excessively long description and a confusing number of drawings, only a preferred form of the invention is described, with the simplest of suggestions tor a few modications to aid those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE l, the piece of yellowish fluorescent optical material 6 is attached to or Wrapped around the main tube 2. The fluorescent plastic commerically available under the name of Plexiglas Yellow #2086 has proven satisfactory for the fluorescent optical material. Similar materials may also be used.

Incident light S strikes a fluorescent particle 9 and fluorescent light radiates, of which two paths 24 and 26 are shown, reiiecting from surfaces and angled end 7 passing through clear optical material 32 and into reticle ZS and again redecting from surfaces by internal reilection principles and edge 3l until ray strikes reticle reilective mark 35i and reects to go through the scope tube and optic 2t) to the observers eye 22. Surfaces 1l, 13 may be silver-ed to aid reilection.

Thus is shown one piping or directing system whereby the light given oil by a piece of fluorescent optical material is directed by reflective surfaces and by total internal reflection principles to enter the reticle plate and ight up the reflective reticle marks whereby the observer 22 can see them appear to glow or be apparently luminous.

The conventional adjustment control l0 operating screw 14 is shown along with mounting block l2, reticle tube 16 and loadinf7 spring l to help in visualizing the use of my invention in a rifle telescope.

The iluorescent optical material can be shaped as round rods, flat-sided bars, blocks, or sheets Where the sheets are at or shape into tubes. Elongated pieces having generally parallel surfaces are preferred for their high luminosity.

FGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate modications of my invention where fluorescent optical pieces 35, 44, 5S and 78 are used to generate and direct light into reticle plates 3S, ed, as and E@ where the uorescent light bounces around inside the reticle plate by reflective surfaces and total internal reilection principles until it falls on redective reticle marks 39, 49, 69 and S2 and hence is reflected to the observers eye as in FIGURE l, ray 24 and eye 22. Clear optical pieces 73, FIGURE 5, 5d, FIGURE 4, may be used to help pipe the light to the reticle.

The principle of lighting the reticle plate marks by fluorescent optical material as the light source can be employed as shown in FlGURE 6 Where the reticle plate is banded by tire iluorescent optical material 73 and is energized by the light going through the instrument tube, and as shown in the reticle cross-section View FIGURE 7 where the round reticle plate is composed of nluorescent optical material part 36 and clear optical material part SS and reticle mark 92. Edge 89 can be made retiective. Light passing through the instrument tube again energizes the fluorescent material to light the reticle marks. The periphery of the reticle is intensely iiuorescent whereas the center is essentially clear. A process of selective dieing can be used tor this instead of two pieces 36, 88 being used.

Reticles may be moved forward or rearward as represented by arrows t, FIGURE 3, and 4i, FlGUl'E 4, for variable power scopes, as well as up and down and sidewise for windage and elevation adjustments.

Many items are exaggerated in proportionate size for reasons of clarity as for example the reticle marks Sil, 39, 49, 6?, 82 and 92 size.

While l have disclosed the invention with particularity in the best form known to me, it will nevertheless be understood that changes in structure, and arrangement, and substitution of materials and equivalents, mechanical or otherwise, may be made without departing from the spirit or" the invention set forth in the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A luminous reticle for an optical instrument com- (a) a reticle indicia,

(b) a iluorescent light source means adapted to be energized by natural incident light for converting natural incident light to iiuorescent light, and

(c) means for directing said fluorescent light to said reticle indicia for illuminating the reticle indicia.

2. A luminous reticle for optical instruments comprising,

(a) a reticle pattern,

(b) fluorescent material means adapted to receive externally incident light and to emit uorescent light, and

(c) means to direct said uorescent light to said reticle pattern from said fluorescent material means in such a manner as to cause said reticle pattern to appear as luminous to an observer.

3. A luminous reticle for optical instruments comprising a reticle plate of optical material having a reective reticle pattern and uorescent dyed optical material means adapted to receive incident light and to emit uorescent light, said reticle plate adapted to receive said uorescent light, and means to direct said iluorescent light into the interior of said reticle plate from said iiuorescent dyed optical material in such a manner as to cause said reticle plate pattern to appear as luminous to an observer.

4. A luminous telescopic rile sight reticle comprising: (a) reticle indicia, (b) a fluorescent light source means for converting eX- ternally incident light to lluorescent light, and (c) means for directing said uorescent light to said reticle indicia.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,392,979 Bonden Jan. 15, i946 2,488,541 Heime Nov. 22, i949 15 2,563,191 Russ July 31, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Van Nostrands Scientific Encyclopedia, published b Van Nostrand (New York), 1958, page 679. Y 

1. A LUMINOUS RETICLE FOR AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING, (A) A RETICLE INDICIA, (B) A FLUORESCENT LIGHT SOURCE MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ENERGGIZED BY NATURAL INCIDENT LIGHT FOR CONVERTING NATURAL INCIDENT LIGHT TO FLUORESCENT LIGHT, AND (C) MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID FLUORESCENT LIGHT TO SAID RETICLE INDICIA FOR ILLUMINATING THE RETICLE INDICIA. 